Whew! That was a lot of work! After weeks of wrangling players and parents to get ready for the upcoming season all while chasing them down for payments, too, you’re finally ready to start playing…as soon as you order the team jerseys. Ugh.
It seems like it never ends and it never really does, but when it’s time to order uniforms, take control to make things easier on yourself and others, too. That’s not to say that no one can have any input, but the more input you allow, the more chaos you can expect. Like the old saying goes, “too many chefs spoils the soup.”
Start by knowing your budget for new uniforms. Allow feedback from teammates or parents and come up with a number that works for everyone and then stick to it. After that, get some input on a basic color theme and once that’s been decided, it’s best for you to take the lead from there on out. If you don’t, it can often lead to a stalemate (and hard feelings) as there are many details to be finalized for your custom jersey order.
Selecting a Jersey Style
You can imagine the difficulty in moving forward when Bob wants Chicago style jerseys because that’s his favorite team but Jim is from St. Louis and hates the Blackhawks. Sully likes Boston but Pierre, naturally, bleeds Bleu, Blanc et Rouge and insists on Canadiens sweaters. If this sounds like your team, then perhaps a more generic league style jersey is best for you. There are many high-quality styles to choose from which are available in popular “team” colors without necessarily being associated with any particular NHL team. Visit our League Style Jerseys page to view the many options available in traditional team colors as well as some unique offerings like Vegas Gold, Pro Blue and Lime Green!
Choosing Jersey Customization
This is another area where there are multiple choices (screen print, sewn twill, sleeve numbers, player names, etc.), but if you set your budget and stick to it, you should be able to navigate the options with relative ease. There is a pretty sizeable price difference between the different printing options, so once you have your jersey style picked out, the rest should be easy…if you stick to your budget. To maximize the value to your team, make a list of the “need to haves” vs. the “nice to haves” for your uniforms. Does your league require sleeve numbers and player names on your jerseys? No? Then perhaps skip those extras and select the higher quality printing or multi-color logos and numbers for your jerseys, which will certainly make everyone happier in the long run.
Ice Hockey Socks
As with jersey styles and customization, this is another area where sticking to your budget should help as well as knowing whether or not your league requires matching socks. More choices are available in the older knitted style hockey socks but many people like the newer pro style hockey socks, too. If the color combination you choose is available in both styles, we recommend budgeting for the lower cost knitted style and then allowing your team to upgrade to the matching pro style socks at their own cost out-of-pocket.
We know it’s a thankless job organizing a team, and being hockey people ourselves, we completely understand–and appreciate–everything that you do. But none of that really matters now because hockey season starts soon…time to start shopping for your next set of jerseys! Good luck and Godspeed!